[.ca] Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most ... (ISBN 0671678752)

From Amazon.com:
Harold Schechter is a professor of American culture at Queens College (CUNY) who takes an academic interest in the history of violent folklore: "Our pop entertainments aren't necessarily more brutal than those of the past," he writes. "They are simply ... more state of the art." In this book Schechter turns his keen historian's gaze on real-life serial killer Albert Fish, who killed--and ate--as many as 15 children in New York City in the 20s. Fish resembled a meek, kindly, white-haired grandfather, but was actually an intense sadomasochist whose sexual fetishes included almost everything known to psychiatry. For example, he stuck 29 needles into his pelvic region. Apparently Schechter, while writing his book Deviant about Ed Gein, asked Robert Bloch (author of Psycho), "Why are people so fascinated by Ed Gein?" Bloch answered, "Because they haven't heard about Albert Fish." Also recommended: Depraved, Schechter's book about Herman Mudgett a.k.a. Dr. H. H. Holmes.

Schechter is a master in what he does:
I won't talk too much about the book itself (there are like 40 reviews about it already(, but I have comments about some of the reviews. First of all, Schechter does an extremely good and professional job about putting things in context. That is what some readers perceived as "uninteresting, boring things that have nothing to do with it" ,etc. Well, these readers are totally wrong. It is important and it is very relevent, as Schechter has understood, to have a context that what happens. The author, in every book I have read by him, contextualise the matter, and everytime it's very well done and very significant. Don't forget that Schechter deals with real stuffm, he's a historian. I find incredibly unfair some of the negative comments made on his work. Obviously some people just don't realise how truly horrid these things are or they stupidly expect things you cannot expect. Schechter cannot invent things that did not take place. Don't listen to anyone bashing his works because honestly he is a very good writer in what he does. His research job is a pure mastery, he is non-biased in everything I ever read of his, totally honest. I'm telling this because I strongly upset at the, very few, reviews of people who obviously had never touched a book in their lives before. I can't conceive anyone finding Deranged annoying, the very thought makes me think that reviewer was a vegetable. You cannot judge Schechter's work as a work of "fiction" (I hate that word applied to literature anyway, none says paintings are "fiction" even when they depict things that never happened, but anyway) and, besides, his books are not at all boring or anything like that. His writing is great, and for those who still consider it as "poor" or whatever, I'll just remind you that Harold Schechter is a literature professor, not saying that makes a good writer, but obviously those who consider him a bad one, are not able to judge clearly. Deranged is a book you'll find hard to stop reading, I read it in two days and just wouldn't stop. If you're a honest reader, meaning you're seriously interested in serial killers and human psychology in general, that book will not disappoint you. Now, if you youre only interested in reading striclty "horror" stuff then you should try something else, although I do not understand how anyone could not consider what Fish did as horror, that's something I honestly just don't understand. I guess the bad reviewers of this book are simpliy idiots, that's all I can understand, so don't you listen to them. Anyway, if you just take a global look at the reviews, most of them give the book a 5 star rating, and it's well deserved. I therefore give it a 5 as well, and a 0 to negative reviews for their total lack of perspective and depth as well as incarnate idiocy.

Excellent, thorough account of a truly bizarre killer:
Calling Albert Fish bizarre or even deranged is almost an understatement. Fish is the strangest murderer \opossibly serial murderer\c that I have read about in eight plus years of reading true crime exclusively. Indeed, one of my crime references describes him wonderfully as a "polymorphous pervert." One of the defense's psychiatrists listed all of Fish's perversions as a exhibit for trial; the list contained 17 items. He was also a religious fanatic, very probably delusional, and looked like everyone's favorite elderly uncle. One example of Fish's perversions was his habit of inserting sewing needles into his groin and rectal areas. There is a photo of an X-ray of Fish's pelvic region in this book that is just stunning; you can count many of the needles and even discern the eye holes! This is not a book for the squeamish or easily upset; it was hard for me, a long-time reader of true crime, to read some of these things. Regardless, it is an excellent, thorough work of true crime. Schechter discovered that Fish's attorney was still alive, secured his cooperation, and was given access to the lawyer's documents, which, he states, "proved invaluable in my reconstruction of the case." Schechter's reconstruction of the case is full, detailed, beautifully organized, and well written. I was struck several times during my reading of this book how contemporary this case seems, even though the kidnapping and murder Fish was tried for happened in 1928 \ohe wasn't caught until 1935\c. The media coverage was sensational and pervasive. Fish's trial hinged on the question of his sanity on insanity and there were elements that I see regularly on CourtTV: dueling expert witnesses; the "is he mad or just bad" question that surrounds an insanity plea; and the defense's attempt to shift blame to Bellevue Hospital, where Fish had been committed twice for short periods of time, and even an ill-advised attempt to place some blame on the parents of Grace Budd \othe child he kidnapped and killed\c for letting a stranger take their daughter on an alleged outing! Fish was only tried for Grace Budd's murder and kidnapping, but Schechter found two cases, kidnappings in 1924 and 1927, that may well have been committed by Fish. Schechter has done something that was not easy in this book: he has taken a horrible crime and an even more horrible criminal and made both understandable.

Entertaining as well as profoundly horrifying:
It's amazing that more people do not know who Albert Fish was. After reading this book, I'm convinced that the man (if one could call him that) had to be the most revolting serial killer in the history of America...it's hard to imagine someone much lower than he was. As far as gruesome reading goes, this book is worse than any work of fiction I've read ("American Psycho" is kind of close, but truth be told...) Shock value aside, this book is an excellent read. Although written about events from long ago, its retelling is so vivid that the reader feels like (s)he is witnessing the past rather than simply reading about it. Everything from law enforcement's efforts to find him, to quotes from many involved (including many from Fish himself), to detailed accounts of his arrest and trial are thoroughly recollected. If you like true crime, this book is a masterpiece. But if you consider pedophilia and cannibalism to be too extreme, don't say you haven't been properly warned.

Decent:
I read DEVIANT over the summer and found it somewhat mediocre. I'm not sure if that's because I was anticipating a more gruesome tale of a cruel and demented killer or because the writing left much to be desired. In either case, Harold Schechter is a decent writer that can at times put too much emphasis on the medias reaction to crimes, rather than the killer and the crimes itself. With that said... Deranged is a bit different, but not much. The thing I do like about Schechters books is that they are truly non-biased. Instead of painting the picture of demonic Hanibal-like killers, he is honest in his decription of Albert Fish (and the others he writes about). So honest that I find myself seeing said killers as ill human beings rather than monsters. I only wish that more was told about these peoples' lives from childhood till death. I'd like a little bit more psychiatric analysis and background information that what is provided. But the most important thing is that the books read like novels for the most part and that keeps the story flowing without too much psychoanalyist crap to sift through. The book is worth a read if you're at all interested in the famous serial killers of the world. Read Shechters books for the story. Use the internet and your library to get details on the men themselves.

Absolutley Insane!:
I read this book after reading my 1st one by Harold Schechter, It takes a damn good book for me to sit down and read. This book is the direct insight into someone who was a wonderful father and grandfather, but couldnt help his craving for children that where not his own. This book is wonderfully written, I had to keep putting it down as it was a very disturbing and emotional experience for me reading in detail what a human can do to innocent trusting children. This book will have you in tears, hitting the table and feeling very angry.